What Time Hath Wrought
by Twin Kats
Summary: Phantom was an accident, but they wouldn't change it for the world. Even when his entire existence would bring the end of everything. / AU TUE-Equivalent Destiny's Calling verse / Temporal Displacement / Pompous Pep / Death-fic / Mentioned mpreg


**What Time Hath Wrought  
**_The Story That Never Was  
_By Twin Kats

It was an accident. Neither had expected it although they both should have, really. They knew their own biology better than anyone, how could they not? But they hadn't, and really it was an accident. Clockwork didn't know Grand would stop by that day and if he did he didn't know if he'd have done anything differently.

Well, that's not exactly true. Even now he didn't touch anything with any bit of alcohol in it, despite the rather blissful silence and darkness it brought into his vision. He would admit that despite the calming and peaceful clarity the darkness showed him it was more unnerving to _not_ See Time. It also ended in situations like _that accident_.

Neither of the two Ancients had known what had happened at first, not exactly. While they _knew_, deep down, what such a coupling would bring (and really Ghostly biology was such a _bitch_) it hadn't quite registered until after the first gut-wrenching upchuck of ectoplasm. Clockwork was left weak-kneed and dizzy and debating the effects of alcohol on his vision.

It wasn't the first time he'd lost control of himself in such a manner, oh no. Clockwork would drink himself into a stupor quite a lot back then, something Grand could quite easily attest to. He'd dealt with the aftermath of a drunken Clockwork. After all the Time Master didn't have the greatest understanding of his own emotions. They left him confused and more often than not back then he sought a bottle to drown the act of _feeling_ away.

Even now Clockwork didn't understand, not fully, although he did follow bits and pieces better. Like _lust_, he definitely understood lust. And there was an inkling of understanding of what the emotion known as _love_ was, and definitely he knew _longing_, and maybe the most common, but the most confusing would have been _sorrow_. Clockwork just didn't get why things _hurt so much_ sometimes and he would do anything and everything to make it _stop_. Conversely he couldn't understand why he'd get so _angry_ either.

Grand was always there, though. Grand was _always_ there, he always helped the Time Master through the rough patches and got him back on straight. Ever since the very beginning Grand was looking out for Clockwork, keeping Clockwork _sane_. Was it no wonder then, truly, that Clockwork grew so attached to Grand? That Clockwork began to _lust_ after the one Ghost to show him any sign of caring, despite not knowing what caring was? And then Grand had the silly audacity to show up when Clockwork was completely hammered.

It really was no wonder what happened, happened. It was an _accident_.

One both wanted to forget about, dearly, but their beautiful little accident wouldn't let them. They _couldn't_ forget it, not even in their wildest dreams. After all the results of their accident had a far-reaching effect on the future. Clockwork could _See it_.

Phantom would make the world; he would shape it into what it _should be_. A Golden Age, a _true_ Golden Age would dawn with their little accident.

And Plasmius, of course, if Plasmius ever wised up to the true connection he had with little Phantom. Clockwork was sure, so _sure_ that it would happen, even back then. He compounded that surety even as Time passed and there was no sign of it ever coming to pass. He held on _so tight_ even after Phantom and Plasmius were put to an eternal sleep. He held on….

Clockwork clung to that vision all the way up until Plasmius perished…and didn't return to the Ghost Zone.

Then the happy, golden future died, and Clockwork felt his world shatter.

* * *

Danny didn't quite understand what had happened at first. All he knew, all he could _feel_ was an encompassing rage at Plasmius—_at Vlad_—and he reacted on pure instinct. He felt so cold, so chilled, and yet burning hot anger coursed through him. The young Phantom barely noticed his hands encasing in ice, or the sword that began to form.

All he could see where Plasmius' red eyes boring into his, seeking and begging forgiveness and _looking_ at him like—like—

And then the sword was through Plasmius' chest and the lights, the glow that surrounded him, was dimming, but he was smiling. Plasmius was _smiling_.

Danny would remember that smile, those lips caking with green ectoblood. He'd remember the glow fading. It would haunt his dreams at night. He would watch over and over as the black rings appeared around the middle of his nemesis and spread…

He'd remember how Plasmius' form became Vlad Masters, and how Vlad gripped that ice sword with hardly a wince and _pushed_ himself forward…

He'd remember those bloodstained lips touching his, for the briefest of moments, and then his ice sword turning to water and Vlad's form falling down to the earth below. He was dead before he hit the ground, portions of his organs having shutdown due to the intense cold the sword had radiated.

Danny just stared at the crumpled, dead form of Vlad Masters, blood pooling on the sidewalk and people arriving to stare in horror. They pointed between him and Vlad, looks of shock and terror on their faces.

Danny didn't flee until his parents showed up on the scene and began firing at him. He was too confused—to _shocked._ Part of him rejoiced that Vlad was dead, was _happy_ that it was over. Another part, a much smaller part, was horrified and felt as if his heart had been tugged out forcefully by a blunt instrument.

Vlad's last words would linger with him forever.

_I love you, Danny Phantom. And I'm sorry, for everything._

* * *

Grand didn't know anything was wrong when he stepped into Clockwork's Tower that day. Unlike his sons and Clockwork he did not have a single drop of Sight within him. Anything and everything to him was connected to the Cycle instead.

And, given how many souls die to become ghosts every day of every year, Grand had become quite adept at ignoring the niggling feeling of a new ghost or of a soul that had finally completed their Cycle. Therefore when he stepped into Clockwork's domain he was completely unaware of how everything was going downhill, or was about to go downhill.

Time was a funny thing in the Timeless lands, after all.

"Clock?"

Grand frowned, or gave the impression of frowning, when he didn't hear Clockwork's normal, faint response. Distantly he could hear something clatter and a shattering sound. Worried he quickened his pace down the long hallway. Sounds like didn't bode well.

"Nonononono! _NO! _It's wrong…wrongwrongwrongwrongwrong! _WRONG!_"

Grand actually skidded into the room and almost immediately had to duck as Clockwork's Time Scepter went flying right where his head was. It crashed into the wall and clattered to the ground. There was a faint crack in the clocks atop the staff. He stared, wide eyed, as Clockwork clutched at his head muttering angrily. Grand could see a few tears, even.

Whatever Clockwork had Seen it had greatly upset him. Especially as the room was…trashed. Completely.

"Clockwork…?"

The Time Master stiffened and froze. Slowly he raised his head and red connected with green. Clockwork collapsed like a puppet whose strings were cut, blubbering and sobbing and breaking down. Grand wasted no time in wrapping his arms around the Time Master, kneeling down on the ground and holding him close.

"Clock…shh, shh…"

"S'all my fault, Grand. My fault…"

Grand closed his eye and rocked Clockwork back and forth, running his hands along the time masters arms soothingly. He couldn't make out anything useful in the broken babbling, and therefore remained ignorant to what had happened. That is until he stiffened, green eye snapping open wide, as icy fingers wrapped tight around his core and _tugged_. Or well it felt like it at least. The information flooded his mind almost instantly.

Plasmius was dead.

* * *

Time was a funny thing. Truthfully it didn't exist. Truthfully Clockwork had the ability to see and control all Possibility, but Clockwork, like every being in existence, was flawed. He may have existed since the beginning, like many of his Ancient brethren, but he was flawed. Every being in the Universe was flawed, after all, even those with godlike power.

It was why the Ancients had agreed to create the checks on their power. It was why the Laws were made and why the Ancients stepped back and rarely interfered in the worlds around them. Power like theirs, in the hands of their flawed existence, could be dangerous. They knew this.

Sometimes, however, for the continued existence of everything the checks they had placed upon themselves would vanish, and in their full power they would reign for a few scant seconds…after all, in the grand scheme of things, those 'seconds' those _possibilities_ could mean anything.

By far Clockwork would be considered the most powerful of the Ancients, having the control of all Possibility as he did (not all of Time as he spoke of, but he considered it Time due to being a flawed creature) and so by far Clockwork had the most checks on his person. Especially considering how unstable his emotional understanding was.

For this reason he was almost constantly monitored by one Ancient or another. Typically it was Grand, the considered second in command of the Ancient's due to his power over the Cycle of Life. But they were growing lax in control of their checks.

So the Universe spit back a lesson to be learnt.

A painful lesson….

* * *

**Summary: **Phantom was an accident, but they wouldn't change it for the world. Even when his entire existence would bring the end of everything. / AU TUE-Equivalent Destiny's Calling verse / Temporal Displacement / Pompous Pep / Death-fic / Mentioned mpreg

_This is the first part of a short set of a TUE-equivalent section of the AU Destiny's Calling verse. Destiny's Calling is an AU fancomic taking place when Danny is 24. This is a more angsty story as it is the TUE-equivalent considering TUE did __**not**__ happen in this verse._

_You honestly don't need to know much of anything about Destiny's Calling except that Phantom and Plasmius have been at each other's throats for a long, long time. They just keep getting shunted back into the Cycle by Grand and forgetting about it until they're older. Although it is recommended to follow the comic chapters, if only for the bits of humor to come._

_This story is also linked to __**One Big Happily Awkward Family**__ which takes place during the AU pre-Danny Phantom episodes._

_Thank you for reading the first part! More to come…eventually._

_Now onto notes **about** things mentioned. I think, honestly, that there are a few ghosts whom are 'Ancients' and that these ghosts, quite honestly, are almost godlike in their power. Clockwork is one of them, Grand another._

_There are, however, limitations to their powers (alcohol completely blocks Clockwork's sight, for one, ESPECIALLY when he's drunk off his ass) but most limitations are set because they don't **want** to abuse the power they have. They don't **want** to be gods, and would prefer to not interfere…._

_Grand has the ability to affect the Cycle of Life. He can take someone **out** of the Cycle, thus making them a ghost, send someone back **into** the Cycle, thus reincarnation. He can even manipulate the Cycle to an extent. Grand limits himself to only sending those who break Ghost High Law back into the Cycle. He does not **ever** yank anyone out (rare few occasions) and never has he tried to manipulate the Cycle itself to bring someone back after they have **completed** their Cycle._

_Incidentally if a person dies and their Cycle isn't complete, they become a Ghost. They can stay a ghost for **years** as long as they don't break Ghost High Law. Rarely does a person ever actually **complete** their Cycle, and as such Grand ends up shipping quite a few ghosts back **into** the Cycle. Most prominent would be Phantom and Plasmius._

_On Clockwork. Unfortunately my younger brother has killed the fact that Time exists to me, as such I've taken to seeing Clockwork in an entirely new light. I think now what Clockwork sees is less time, and more Possibilities. He sees **what** could be, not necessarily what **will** be. The twist and turns of "time" are just twist and turns of possibility, of choices and actions that could be taken to reach an outcome. There is no **time** truthfully, but because we are flawed creatures we see things as if there **were** such a thing as "time" So yeah. Incidentally Clockwork's ability to See and Control Probability gives him a very detached view of everything, and as such I see the Time Master with a big, big, biiiiig emotional handicap._

_He doesn't understand emotions, because being ability to see, connect, and control possibility doesn't give him the chance to **feel** emotions. Therefore Clockwork doesn't understand what he feels, that tightening of the chest or the floaty feeling. However that was in the BEGINNING. Since Clockwork has existed for so long by this time, of course he would have a slightly better grasp, but still not so strong of one. For this reason Clockwork's judgment is often viewed with a grain of salt. It is taken into close consideration, but isn't taken as fact simply because he **could** be tricked by his own emotions._

_Clockwork knows and understands this, and in the presence of anyone but Grand (whom he trusts implicitly to make correct decisions and to judge if he is emotionally impaired or not) he tries to keep up a mask of impartiality and emotionless. Most times he can keep it, but sometimes, as seen in the comic, his emotions take hold for a brief second. It is **very** hard for Clockwork to control his own emotions, simply because he can't understand them. Yeah._

_It's quite an up and down relationship Grand & Clockwork share…_


End file.
